C2E2: JMS on "Thor," "Spider-Man," & the Writing Life

[CBR News]

Writer J. Michael Straczynski bantered with fans, pounded the wall, and accepted an award at his C2E2 panel, offering unvarnished opinions about writing and leading a revolt against a noisy neighbor.


Full article here.

[Leocomix]

The Twelve is at least an 8 if not a nine. Not as high profile characters as Spider-Man, Superman or Thor but one of his better works.

[deathcry]

Nice article. I guess I came in hoping for some 'he said, she said' about Spider-man (OMD) and Thor. But left kinda glad it wasn't about that.
I like the message he was trying to deliver.

[chastmastr]

I wish, wish, wish someone would ask him about how much of Reed's becoming a bad guy in his FF run during Civil War was editorially mandated. That moment when Reed says that his uncle should have caved to McCarthy has stuck in my craw for years and I've never heard of him addressing it at all.

[Will.S]

I wish, wish, wish someone would ask him about how much of Reed's becoming a bad guy in his FF run during Civil War was editorially mandated. That moment when Reed says that his uncle should have caved to McCarthy has stuck in my craw for years and I've never heard of him addressing it at all.

You can always ask him through his Facebook fan page.

[Leocomix]

Reed became a bad guy? I don't think so.

[chastmastr]

Reed became a bad guy? I don't think so.

Oh, yes--during Civil War. That scene where he talks about his uncle is particularly creepy in real-world terms, too, though, especially at the time it was written.

[Jason S]

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike JMS more. He makes that crack about Scottish people's language. Well I'm Scottish, and newsflash JMS, we speak the same Queens English that folks in the US do!

Furthermore, I can't say I found that story about him and his pals ganging up on the guy, stripping him and putting him out in the snow, to be all that endearing either. I mean isn't that assault? By a mob no less. And he's still proudly amused by it. Urgh!

[Superbeast]

As a resident of London who has been to Scotland, I'd like to say I found very few speaking the Queen's English with most having a regional accent and using slang.

Hell, there a Youtube vid of someone breaking down the differences between regional differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hbfqtCnneI

[Jason S]

Yes. I get what you're saying there Superbeast. It's like any country really, there will always be variations. I may have overstated things a little bit, but it still felt like JMS was taking cheap shots there, just to play to the crowd.

He really should watch his old Babylon 5 episode criticising the Cult of Personality in certain figures. Because he seems to have developed a not so kind, arrogant streak in himself these days, that I think his younger self would be appalled by.

[I_Captain Blanco]

I have only met Straczynski in "fan" settings like conventions and signings and things, where he has a public persona that is very much "on." But I have friends who worked under him on Babylon 5 and with him at both Marvel and DC, and that arrogant streak is not remotely new. (As Joe himself would say--and somewhat infamously has said--"just sayin'.")

On the other hand, while I hated all the "Spider-Totem" nonsense, I agree with every single thing he says about Spider-Man, Mary Jane, and Aunt May, and his all-too-brief run on THOR was the best treatment the character has had since Simonson.